Disclaimers: For the purposes of this list, “medieval” means “after the fall of the Roman Empire but before the end of the Wars of the Roses.” There are other ideas about the timeline of the Middle Ages, but this one maps the best onto the set of historical romances that I’ve read, which mostly take place in England. Also, one of the romances on this list takes place in Tang Dynasty China, which was contemporaneous with the early Middle Ages in Europe but was very much its own thing, hence the “ish.” Finally, this is not a list of my favorite romances created during the actual Middle Ages, although I do like Marie de France very much.
1. For My Lady’s Heart by Laura Kinsale (1993)
Exact Setting: 1370s France and England.
Premise: Melanthe, the English-born widow of an Italian prince, is returning to her homeland to avoid forced marriage to her late husband’s rival. On the way, she meets Sir Ruck, a young country knight who has idolized her since she saved him from a dreadful fate in Avignon several years before. His illusions are shattered by the real Melanthe’s flinty personality, but he still feels he owes her a debt and offers his protection. Despite her cynicism, Melanthe accepts.
Why I Like It: For My Lady’s Heart is arguably one of the most ambitious romance novels ever written. In addition to the complicated, enigmatic cast of characters and the sweeping portrait of a Black-Death-haunted Europe, Kinsale heavily incorporates Middle English into her prose. The reader has to adjust to the language and the characters, but the rewards are worth the challenge.
Favorite Scene: Melanthe and Ruck’s very private wedding.
2. The Reluctant Beserker by Alex Beecroft (2014)
Exact Setting: England, mid-9th century.
Premise: Wulfstan, an Anglo-Saxon warrior, longs to be sexually dominated by another man, but he knows his desires aren’t compatible with his role in society. Leofgar, a wandering harper, just wants to be respected as a person and a man, but his lowly status and delicate appearance make it difficult. Their first meeting yields nothing but a passionate kiss, but, when they meet again, they find that they can band together against presumptuous lords, messy feelings about gender and sexuality, and, of course, blood magic.
Why I Like It: “What if an Anglo-Saxon warrior wanted to bottom?” may not sound like the premise of a top-notch historical romance, but the first rule of reading romance is to let yourself be surprised. Beecroft creates two unforgettable protagonists who, despite their imperfections, treat each other with incredible tenderness. I also love the lonely, haunted portrayal of Anglo-Saxon England, perpetually covered in mist and rife with weird power dynamics.
Favorite Scene: The wintertime death of Leofgar’s elderly mentor.
3. Dark Champion by Jo Beverley (1993)
Exact Setting: England, circa 1100.
Premise: Imogen of Carrisford is forced to flee for help when a neighboring lord and rejected suitor brutally attacks her father’s castle and household. “Help,” in this case, means Tyron of Cleeve, an upwardly mobile base-born knight with debilitating claustrophobia. Imogen agrees to marry him in exchange for helping her get her home back, but she’s reluctant to trust him and nervous about consummating the marriage.
Why I Like It: Many reviewers find Imogen “stupid” or “annoying,” but I love her. She just wants to take care of herself and her people, and she’s not afraid to risk her life or other people’s censure to make that happen! Moreover, I love that her determination is validated by the narrative. Does she make mistakes? Sure! Does Tyron ultimately admit that she was right about everything? Fuck yeah he does! Tyron is also refreshingly reasonable and accommodating even before he thanks Imogen for saving his ass. Finally, the plot is very exciting, and I sincerely believe this book was an influence on ASOIAF.
Favorite Scene: Um, Tyron admits that Imogen was right about everything?
4. The Knave and the Maiden by Blythe Gifford (2004)
Exact Setting: 1350s England.
Premise: Sir Garren, disillusioned veteran of the Crusades, is offered land and riches by his dying lord’s corrupt younger brother. All he has to do in exchange is accompany a group of pilgrims to the shrine of St. Larina...and seduce novice Dominica, thereby destroying her chances of ever becoming a nun. Garren accepts, but any thought he had of following through dies when he meets Dominica, a sunny and almost fanatically devout young woman.
Why I Like It: I love a romance about two people who are being pitted against each other by someone in power, but instead band together against that person. Garren and Dominica each refuse to play the game, albeit in very different ways; his outward knightly obedience is a cover for healthy skepticism and a strong moral compass, while her piety is built on a foundation of self-respect that few people want her to feel. The atmosphere is delightfully spooky, and the band of pilgrims are a fun homage to The Canterbury Tales.
Favorite Scene: The party gets lost in the MIST OF DOOM, tied with Dominica figuring out who her real mom is.
5. The Taming of Mei Lin by Jeannie Lin (2010)
Exact Setting: Tang Dynasty China, circa 710
Premise: In an effort to fend off the proposals of a local warlord, swordswoman Wu Mei Lin has declared that she will only marry a man who can defeat her in combat. She remains undefeated, but she’s unsure how long her ploy will work, plus she’s hurt by the way everyone jokes about her. When the mysterious warrior Shen Leung rides into town, requesting a duel, she wonders if he could be her way out.
Why I Like It: Mei Lin is an endearing heroine, pragmatic and secretly vulnerable; the sharpness with which Jeannie Lin draws her is especially impressive, considering that this is a short novella. Leung’s earnestness and respect for Mei Lin are appealing as well. The whole story also has an extremely charming folk-tale feel.
False Colors by Alex Beecroft (historical fiction/gay?)
1762, The Georgian Age of Sail: For his first command, John Cavendish is given a ship—the HMS Meteor—and a crew, both in need of repair and discipline. He’s determined to make a success of their first mission, and hopes the well-liked lieutenant Aelfstan Donwell will stand by his side as he leads his new crew into battle: stopping the slave trade off the coast of Algiers.
Alfie knows their mission is futile, and that their superiors back in England will use the demise of this crew as impetus for war with the Ottoman Empire. But the darker secret he keeps is his growing attraction for his commanding officer—a secret punishable by death.
With the arrival of his former captain—and lover—on the scene of the disastrous mission, Alfie is torn between the security of his past and the uncertain promise of a future with the straight-laced John.
Against a backdrop of war, intrigue, and personal betrayal, the high seas will carry these men through dangerous waters from England to Africa to the West Indies in search of a safe harbor.
John Cavendish has always been loyal to his country and captains. When he's finally given the chance to command his own ship, he happily agrees. Even though she's beaten by battle and a little rough around the edges, not to mention manned by a ragtag bundle of men, John loves his new boat. He might also feel something for his new lieutenant.
Alfie is young and full of life. He's a bit unconventional with his easy manner and sly grins. He also happens to be in love with his new captain, going so far to stalk him to get a position on the boat.
But the boat is meant to be a suicide mission. No one expects the men to return from their trip, but when they end up taking on a Spanish outpost and winning, John finds his ability to command in hot water--he wasn’t supposed to win.
And then Alfie is kidnapped and tortured in the slave pens. And then John appears to save him and nurse him back to health.
And then, and then, and then...
I'll be honest, nothing in this book made much sense. It lives up to the title of “False Colors.” While the sailing scenes were meticulously researched--and at some points when the technical terms didn't overwhelm you it was easy to enjoy life at sea--the characters had no love put into them. I didn't understand John or Alfie. They're the main characters; I'm supposed to feel something for them, but there was a total disconnect. I couldn't even gather up an ounce of sympathy when Alfie was found in the slave pens because I was trying to figure out what was happening, and then the whole thing was skipped over anyway!
For a man who was tortured and shoved into a hot box, Alfie seems to suffer no psychological side effects. Later on, when John is taken captive and tortured, it's the same story. There’s little trauma for either character for something so horrific. But John’s only concern is what Alfie had told him, that Alfie was gay and in love with him. And Alfie’s only concern at this point is that John had stormed out in a pious rage.
I mean, that's what this book boils down to. John's a God-fearing man, Alfie is gay, there are technical sailing scenes. That's it. That's the whole book! You paid for a historical gay romance and received boats!
Marketing this as a MLM romance is generous. There’s no romance. None. Maybe my brain was fried by the nautical scenes so the later half of the book was more like a fever dream? But seriously. What was this book?
My need to confess may be the death of us both. But it leaves a bad taste in my mouth that this love should go unrecorded, that posterity should judge men like myself—like him—by the poor fools driven out to grope strangers in alleys, all fumbling fingers and anonymous grunting. Those of us uncaught must perforce be silent. But one day, perhaps, when the world has grown kinder, this journal will be read by less jaundiced eyes. To them I will be able to say there was fidelity here, and love, and long-suffering sacrifice, and joy. To them I will be able to speak the truth.
Dark Ages England. Among the Saxons, a warrior is the highest form of human life. He dominates all, he yields to none, and if ever this mastery is taken away, his honour is taken with it.
Reluctant berserker, Wulfstan, a noble and fearsome warrior, has spent most of his life trying to hide the fact that he would love to be cherished and taken care of by someone stronger than himself. Slight and beautiful harper, Leofgar, has the opposite problem – how can he keep the trained killers off him long enough to get them to acknowledge he’s as much of a man as any of them?
When, in a panic, Wulfstan accidentally kills a friend who is about to blurt out his secret, and Leofgar flees rather than submit to his lord’s lust, they meet on the road to the pilgrims’ shrine at Ely. Pursued by a mother’s curse and Leofgar’s vengeful lord, they must battle guilt, outlaws, and the powers of the underworld with the aid of only music and a female saint. And if they fall in love on the way, there’s still that murderous shame to overcome.
Review
This is not the first Beecroft book I’ve read, but I wanted to integrate something in that wasn’t Victorian or Regency, as most m/m historical romances are. The description of this novel does it no justice, because Beecroft’s world-building and ability to craft with words is first-rate.
“I know all the songs tell us how terrible it is to be alone, without place or protector, a wanderer in the wilderness. I can recite the lament of the lordless with every syllable dripping with woe. It isn’t to be alone that I fear, it is to be caged. Bound to some man who thinks that because he feeds you he thus owns you.That his are the words that come out of your mouth, and his are your thoughts— that you exist only to praise and serve him. How can a man of pride bear that? How can any real man be content as another’s servant?”
Yes, the entire book is written with this level of skill.
“The day’s voices had fallen silent, and now the town was filled with the whispering of the sea.
The turf was soft beneath them and smelled of ancient heather and dust—long-ago vanished summers in a time of giants.
The grave was a black stroke on a green page behind him, as though God had drawn a line to end the tale of Anna.
The jangle of Fealo’s harness was like a dropped plate on a flagged floor as he tossed his head up and snorted, the only sound in a world struck dumb.“
Also, this is a world caught between the old gods and the Christian ways that being integrated in. Beecroft manages to blend them in, along with philosophy, in a way that is seamless and not at all heavy-handed. There is a clever and redemptive revenge arc threaded through the story, and the lessons from both the old religion and Christian are integrated into this, helping to create a balance for the main characters. Wulfstan is concerned with being seeing as womanly for wanting to be submissive to a man, while Leofgar is seen as such due to his appearance, and despises it. Both will have to come to understand that yielding is not weakness, and that it’s their own truth between them, that matters.
Tears came to his eyes as he felt Leofgar enfold his hands with his own—the gesture of a lord to his man. An oathtaking. A way to vow, in the sight of each other and of God, that he would take Leofgar as his protector for the rest of his life. “Oh yes.”
“Speak,” Leofgar said, quiet and calm, his smoky dark voice full of natural authority. “Tell me what you promise.”
“My lord.” Wulfstan sniffed, for his joy filled him so completely it squeezed tears from his eyes. This was why Leofgar was worthy—to think of something so perfect, that allowed them both to cherish and rely on one another without dishonouring either of them. “My lord, accept me, Wulfstan Wulfricing, to your service. Receive my sword, my honour and my love, and use them to your glory.”
